Improvement in machines for varnishing pencils



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TEILE H. MLLER 'AND HENRY c. BEN'soN, or NEW Your, N. Y., ASSIGN- `ons ro Josera nEcKENDoErER, or SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 109,750, dated November 29, 187,0.

IMPRovEME-NT In MACHINES son vARNlsHlNG PENclLs.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making partof the same.

To whom 'it may concern Be itknowu that we, TEILE H. MLLER and HENRY C.- BENsoN, both of the city, county, and

State of N ew York, have 'invented certain' new 'and useful Improvements in Machinery for Varnishing Pencils and other articles, of which the following is a specification. l

In varnishing lead-pencils it has heretofore'been usual to pass the pencils, one after the other, through a vessel illed with varnish, each pencil, after leaving the varnish-vessel, passing between or .through revolving' brushes, which were used in order to cause the thin lrn or coat of varnish on the outer surface of the pencil to enter and be incorporated, asfar as possible, with the wood.

. As these brushes require, however, a great. deal of labor and machinery in order to be kept in pmper operation, we propose to substitute for them other devices, which, while operating upon thepencils as well as or even better than the brushes, do not require any labor or machinery to be kept in operation.

To this end we place in the varnish-vessel one or more dies, the holein each die being of such a diameter that, when the pencil is passed through it, 'the exterior surface of the wood will be compressed, there-l by closing the pores 4of the wood, and partially pressing the varnish into them.

After the pencil has passed through the die the pores again open, but, as this takes place. in the varnish, the opening of the pores .draws into them the varnish, which thus becomes intimately incorporated with the wood.

At'each end of the varnish-vessel there is a stuingb'ox surrounding the aperture, though which the pencil enters or passes out.

Heretofore these boxes, owing to defects in their thereby insuring more even coloring ofthe pencil and effecting a saving of varnish.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the manner in which the same is or .may be Acarried into effect by reference to the accompanying drawing, which represents alongtudinal Vertical central section of a varnishing apparatus made in accordance'with our invention.

A is the varnish-vessel or box, made of any suitable -size and shape.

The stufling-boxes for the-entrance and exit ofthe pencils are shown at a b, and the feed of the pencils through the box is obtainedv in the usual way by pntting the pencils in a line, en'd to end, and thenpressing them forward through-the box, either' by hand or by feed-rollers.

Within the box, and'below the level ofthe varnish therein contained, we place one or more dies, c, of steel or other suitable material, the hole ,in each die being, as above stated,`of such diameter relatively to the pencil that the latter inpassing through will be compressed more or less.

Each die is arranged so that the hole in it shall be upon the prolongation of the holes inthe'stutingboxes, through which the pencil also passes.

against lugs or a frame, f, near the center of the ves-` sel, the other lresting against the end of the vessel. A Either of,` these positions may be selected for the die,

These dies are designed to take' the place of the brushes heretofore employed for the purpose of incor-v porating the varnish with the I wood, and they are readily applied to thev box, while they require no machinery to operate them, and do their work equally as well as, if not better than, the brushes. By passage through the dies, the pores of the wood are brought into conditionto take the varnish, and the incorporation of the varnish is complete before the pencil passes ont from the apparatus.

The movement of the pencilthrough the box is in the direction indicated by the arrow, and, therefore, the first stufling-box a serves only to keep the varnish iu the Ivessel.v But the-othervstuiiing-box b is not only used for this purpose, but at the same time actsas a wiper to remove the superfluous varnishfrom the pencil, thereby determining the thickness of the coat of varnish put on during each passage ofthe pencil through th'e apparatus. l f

As the color of the outside of the pencil depends ingreat measure upon the thickness of these coatsfof varnish, and as it is-very desirable that pencils of the same class should be of the same color, it is, therefore, important that an even pressure should be exerted upon the exterior of the pencil, and that this pressure may he graduated and made to compensate for the wear in the packing of felt or other elastic material with which these boxes are usually packed.

To this endwe unite the glands a 7)'which are used to bear upon the packing, withtheir boxes, by means of screws s s,"which pass vloosely through the angeson' the glands andA screw-into the vboxes in the usual way; and. between the heads of these screws and the glands we interpose springs u, as'shown plainly in the drawing. l

Under this arrangement, when thcadjnsting screws are screwed up so as to cause the gland to-benr upon the packing in the box with the requisite pressure,

they act on the gland through the medinmvof thesprings u, which, by the operation of screwing4 up the screws s, have been compressed. Therefore., any sub sequent wear ofI the packing will be at once compensated for by the springs, which will expand so as to move the gland farther in, thus causing the even pressure of the packing upon the pencil t0 be preserved for a. verylong period. i

Under the old arrangement the boxes required con`- stant attention and adjustment, but when made as above described, they become self-compensating, and perform better work, and Arequire much less looking after than has heretofore been the case.

Having now described our invention, and the inanner in which the same is or Vmay be carried into effect,

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

the packing as it wears, and thus maintaining an evenpressure upon the pencil, substantially as shown and set forth. 4 4

In testimony whereof', we have signed our names t0 this specification before two subscribing witnesses. TEILE 1I. MLLER. HENRY C. BENSON.

' NVitnesses:

- J. F. NVILLIAMS, GEORGE 'SLoAL 

